On another timeline, distantly in the future, a desperate project had begun in order to salvage all hope. On that timeline, Axln had just sent both Velvet and then even Mheridz, her own daughter, distantly into the past.

Axln knew this had been a plan for them for quite a long time now, but her hesitation had brought them to this. Lyun.. was now dead, that was an incident which had hit her incredibly hard.. and it still was. The two of them had been through these troubled times as vanguard for so long, since before they were their children’s current ages. Everything had been difficult, but they had endured. Now, however, she was truly alone. The people who remained on the other side were no longer in her reach without Lyun around, not while she was stuck on this side. She would thus even remain on this one world her whole life too, her travels were over. Of the people on this side, her daughter was now gone too. Having effectively agreed to sending her daughter to a timeline which would offer only death as a reward.. Axln simply could not spare the courage to face her husband with the news, either. Her sister.. Xwyhr had long disappeared after being expelled from the academy, even before Mheridz was born. There was no evidence, but it was safe enough to assume Xwyhr had died, much like Ezhyrae all that time ago. Death was rather rampant in society now, it really was only inevitable at this point.

Axln took her sanctuary aboard the citadel, the only escape that had yet remained to her. It was possibly the most protected place in the world, untouchable by all of the outside threats. However, she knew it wasn’t any long term solution, the place simply wasn’t stocked with the resources to survive in for very long, especially if the surface was completely overwhelmed. It was then, as such, even hiding here would simply be a slow and painful death. This is why she knew such was not a sanctuary she could hide in for long, she needed to make use of what she could to improve her odds.. by any measure left available to her. Knowing this, she went to find Luna, her only remaining confidant in the whole world.

“Hello inheritor. Was your excursion successful?” “We’ve lost Lyun, so things have gone really bad. I just guided Mheridz over to the foundry, got her setup with everything she would need to get established in the past. Velvet should be doing the same thing. Both of them are gone then too.” “That is unfortunate. Would you like a battle update situation?” “Is it more bad news, or is there anything good this time?” “I assume this would count as bad news. The enemy has appeared again near the academy in vast numbers. One of them has been identified as a high class target. Reports from our forces have classified its ability as one which can manipulate outcomes by influencing probability.” “So it’s capable of making us unlucky. Considering how things look so far, I fail to see how that changes anything.” Luna’s news just felt like the most obvious outcome of events at this point, according to Axln. Having bad luck was simply everything staying constant.

“How would you like to proceed?” “Might as well do the same thing as always. Send me down to the front lines, I’ll work to deal with it somehow. If there is a safe opportunity, as always, take it out.” Luna nodded an acknowledgement, leaving Axln to prepare for a rift. Soon, she was down there confronting the battalion of her enemy, feeling as much into much of anything as Luna probably was. She quite honestly felt broken, simply going through the motions at this point. She attacked the nearest with a dust claw strike.. only to miss as an ashen dune happened to slide open at that point to have her fall in. She at least got their attention, which was a great start. When they turned to attack her, she simply set up a shadow barrier, an act which was designed to unmake them with dark elementals. However, something in her design messed up, with the shadows instead breaking down the distance between it and her, the strike then landing even more defiantly. The impact sent her flying, leaving her considerably dazed in the effort and rather uncoordinated, which for the most part left her simply open for a follow-up strike.

It was at this point, so completely uncoordinated and alone, that she missed Lyun more than anything else at all. She really could use some help right about now from her lifelong friend.

However, at the very least, being thrown wide did offer the citadel a decided opening. Luna calibrated the trajectory for a major strike, infusing a high capacity of elements into it. Firing such a strike however caused a sudden system overload, the thing buckling suddenly under the intense pressure.. as unlikely as such an outcome would have been. The sudden burst caught the engines in a bad way, sending the citadel off course. At that same time, it also sent the firing trajectory off course too, the shot thus missing it’s target. Instead, the overwhelming energy burst was sent slightly in a new direction.. directly at the academy itself. The huge burst detonated, taking out a massive swath of the academy.. including entire archives. Meanwhile, with an engine failure, the citadel was in a crash course, the entire structure meteoring to the ground without any safe control.

When Axln managed to recover from her daze, her foes suddenly keeping their distance, she managed to take account of what had just happened. The citadel.. was now lost.. the massive burst on impact from the citadel rending it to an explosive ruin that would have either ripped apart everyone inside, or consumed them in the elemental carnage. Even surviving such, it had crashed in the open void, the ashen leaking inside. Anyone alive would soon perish in the void itself. Luna.. was also dead.. but that wasn’t all. The academy was ablaze with the same elemental carnage as the citadel, the strike wreaking havoc on everything. She knew her husband would have been hard at work in the archives at this point, and everything from the ashen through the archives was now simply a crater, visible even from where she stood. That.. that was it, every last person she still cared about.. was gone. She was now completely alone.

She could hear chaos whispering to her again, louder than ever before. What exactly was she even fighting for then? It was a good question, she was now out of things to fight for, she really didn’t care anymore at all. Sure, there were still outposts of civilizations to protect, but places like that were beyond her, she wouldn’t even matter in their defense, and.. she really couldn’t care less. Even her own well-being, well.. if she escaped her current circumstances, she had nowhere left to go. Didn’t she fear death? Actually.. no. Maybe, death would be a mercy after all. All of her pain could finally end. There was nothing here for her anymore anyway. Then, did that mean she was surrendering to chaos? Well, from her perspective, chaos had won, there was nothing else to do now but accept it. If she was so willing to surrender, chaos would then be willing to offer her one of two outcomes. The first would be the death she seems willing to accept, where all the pain went away. The second however would be her submission to chaos, letting chaos consume her. Doing so, the pain might not go away, but she will no longer be alone. Becoming consumed by chaos means being invested into chaos, brought into the fold of chaos, it would give her new purpose.

Axln however didn’t see the point of new purpose, not after everything she had lost. Chaos could see that such losses mattered to her design, and regrettably most of such losses were not within the purview of chaos to provide. However, there was one notable exception. The one named Lyun, the one who was also of chaos. That one could still be recovered, and could also be brought into chaos’s fold. If Axln would submit to chaos, she would be returned to Lyun as well. That shocked Axln, wasn’t Lyun dead? Of course, Lyun might appear far away, but she wasn’t quite out of reach yet, there was still a way to save her. Did Axln want the power to save Lyun? That question hit with a magnitude that made the citadel’s last strike appear feeble in comparison. She had felt everything, everyone.. was lost to her. There was nothing left within her own power that could save anyone. However, if there was a way, no matter how steep the costs, could she really turn such a gift away? Was her pride so steep that she was so willing to simply die alone, turning away her last opportunity to make a difference?

It was a smooth and complete victory in the making. Chaos had finally broken Axln’s will, she had submitted.

The collection of fiends broke away, providing a path for the greatest one present to approach her directly. With the last of her defenses down, she could feel a link to her entire existence matching her to the fiend before her, tethered through her ashen arm. She held out the same arm, making contact with the void matter of the fiend, being drawn into it. Everything around her vanished as she felt awashed with temporal chaos, everything around her appearing white, everything about her appearing white. She knew she was back in the temporal plane once again, but she didn’t feel the same at all. In fact, she didn’t exactly feel at all, not in the same way as she used to. Such was not the way of chaos, and she had become one of chaos. Things happened there, though there were no clear signs exactly what, simply that stuff happened. Having been of a principled design, the changes were going to take some getting used to. Chaos then made an offer yet again. The process was simply a matter of course at this point, but there was no point taking her out of action when there was still plenty to do. Of course, one such thing was to ensure Lyun played a part in the process too, such a key component would make everything much easier for Axln. Axln was already within the fold of chaos, already opened to the might of chaos, she could call upon it’s aid at any time, much as any other in the fold.

Axln then found herself back upon the ashen dunes, surrounded by the lesser chaos from before. The greater one which had taken her in was nowhere to be seen, but Axln knew exactly where it was. Such a fiend.. a friend.. had become a part of her, had ensured she was melded into chaos, it’s power was her own. That.. that was even more novel, it was like having true control over fate, at long last, as she could outright manipulate probability itself. It felt all too perfect for her, a priceless gift that would lead to one even more invaluable. She simply needed to recover Lyun, that was all that was left to her. Lyun however was not here, Lyun perished as Rosa, so she needed to go to her to accomplish anything. Normally, passage to the other principled plane would have been beyond her, but chaos walked freely through the temporal plane, switching between both sides was now completely in her own power.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Kori stepped forth in the frozen fields of Aestus once again, all of her frost protection absolutely neglected. In truth, the place had maybe become a bit too warm for her tastes, her chaotic composition being considerably colder than her surroundings. She took a moment to consider the circumstances of this particular plane. Rosa would have been left in Drew’s care, with both Tristine and Sophie there to weep over the loss. Holi would be around, but she always was. Unfortunately though, none of them would understand her any longer, they had been left behind as principles. All of them would mourn the principles Rosa had left behind, not letting the chaos that remains have any opportunity. Of course, such chaos mattered far more than the wasted principles, so that was going to be a problem. More of a problem was how Hypertech was designed to keep out dark matter.. such as herself. Well, chaos had warned her that the pain wasn’t going to stop so suddenly, this too was inevitable.

“Oh.. Kori? Is that you over there? It’s really hard to tell in all this blasted cold.” “Hello Tristine. Sorry, it seems the barrier is acting up maybe, it’s sort of in my way. Could you provide me with an opening, please?” “Oh, sure. Really though, I thought you were gone to the other side, that we weren’t going to see you again.” “Well, things happened, there really is quite a lot to talk about. I don’t suppose I could see Rosa again though?” “Oh, sure, we’ve set up an area in Drew’s office for that, just go check there.” “Thank you, you’ve been so very helpful.” Tristine had her back turned while Kori just walked in, the rush of heat really being disturbing. Kori had honestly hoped to deal with things without making a scene, but the amount of energy here really was making her feel uncomfortable. Such a feeling grew worse when her exit closed up behind her.

“Tristine, what are you doing? That’s not the real Kori.” “Oh come on, Holi, don’t be like that. I couldn’t be any more real than this.” “Readings of this apparition indicate a full composition of absolute zero, the same as any DMA. The temperature here is declining swiftly.” “I suspect you’re not happy that I disabled any holo device I had on hand, they really were getting uncomfortable. This stupid arm is already plenty to work with, but I’ll at least continue to work with it in Rosa’s memory.” “The arm.. isn’t absolute zero at all, it’s authentic!” “Like I told you, I’m Kori.” “I’ve alerted Drew that Kori has been taken by the enemy and is currently attempting an invasion. Tristine, we need to drive her off.” “Wait, are you trying to tell me that you’re suddenly standing against me? Are you serious?” Holi didn’t look like she was joking, though maybe Kori couldn’t blame her. Of course, chaos had been their life-long enemy, a presence that was only there to wipe out all principles. Seeing things from the other side though, Kori could see why. Everything of principles was honestly becoming outright annoying. No wonder chaos had said that only Lyun could be saved, those of principle were in fact beyond salvation.

This fact stung home no better when her left shoulder took a blow from Tristine’s ionic rifle. She had just been shot at.. by Tristine. The swath of energy really hurt, and not in the way any physical wound should have, though it did also leave emotional scars. Her foes had become her friends, and her friends had become her foes. However, nothing was going to get in her way of saving Lyun. If the people of this world were going to try, if the people of this world were going to turn on her, then she would deny them as the principles they are. Tristine’s next round failed, ill fortune finally having woven its way around fate, though Tristine’s perseverance would ensure such would not last. Taking advantage of the opening, Kori rushed Tristine with her left arm, pinning the girl against a nearby wall. Quickly, the thermal integrity of the girl was lost, freezing her completely into ice. In another moment, that ice shattered, and Tristine was no more.

Kori could feel the entire place move around her, aiming down upon her, and she knew right away what had happened. Holi had just connected into the entire defense grid, and was aiming everything they had at her. That would have been a major problem.. if it weren’t for the fact that, in the end, Holi was her creation. Finally opting to use a holo again, Kori went into Holi’s main controls and activated a virus program, overloading the entire system. Adding a touch of bad luck, the nanite colony went stiff almost instantly. As Holi had also committed override controls over all of the system defenses, that also took the entire network down with her, disabling the entire security system. Kori however made sure that some of the program remained, having Holi able to break administrative access to all of aerospace’s network too could actually do wonders for having her friends get in there too. Further a virus through ATALS towards other colonies, it would be a complete takeover. Actually, she was in quite the position to turn this whole war right around, even using her new ability to break down the defenses in the other principled plane. She was the turning point in everything, the one who could end this war instantly in chaos’s favour. However, before she would be so kind, she wanted her friend secured first. Lyun was far more important. Driven to such, she made her way into the office, not even considering being nice about it. Doors in her way shattered to the frost of her presence. Quickly along the way, she thus found Sophie suddenly, quivering in fear without any weapon handy.

“Kori..? You.. you’re not Kori though.” “You have no way to defend yourself, get out of my way or else…” “Why, why? She’s dead, but you won’t even let us mourn her? Why are you doing this?” “She’s of chaos, and I’m taking her back with me. Now get out of my way.” “She’s my sister, the second that I’ve lost now, why are you being so cruel?” “If you feel she’s dead, then there is nothing left to lose, right?” “No, no, please go away!” This was probably the roughest part for Kori, as Sophie was possibly the one person still alive that Kori knew longer than anyone. Sophie wasn’t even a threat, but she was still blocking the way. It was a sure sign of the truth chaos had offered her, there was no salvation for the principled from her anymore, the only one she could save was Rosa. Kori was through the passage soon after that realization, walking over the shattered dust of Sophie’s remains. From there, she finally arrived at Drew’s office, and opened the door.

“Well, I suppose there’s pretty much nothing that would compel you to stop now, is there?” “No, there isn’t.” “Well, I’m afraid that I’m certain Rosa would want me to do what I could to stop you.” “You wouldn’t even stand a chance.” “No, no I guess not. But before you bring HyperTech crashing down, I’ve got no choice but to go down with it. Maybe I’ll be so lucky as to leave you with a lasting wound that would provide someone else an opportunity.” “I doubt it, luck is my domain.” “You underestimate the resolve it takes to run a company. You underestimate how much I’ve put into this place, how much work I’ve accomplished. I guess Rosa never let you know, but you aren’t the only robotics expert here. Activate override, detonation authorized.” Drew’s life’s work was not just his company, even if that was all Kori had ever seen. Drew had spent ages working on countless robots of his own, small mechanized marvels with their own distinct interfaces, stuff Kori had no control over. Such was also wired into the entire structure, separate to the interface Holi had commanded, and was committed to even running from the conduit’s power core far below. That same core.. was now primed to explode. HyperTech would have a funeral by pyre, not frost. There was nothing luck could do against such a design of fate, it was simply another inevitability.

However, Kori’s dominion existed over more than simply fortune, she also commanded time. As the onset of the explosion began without any other warning, the wash of flame incinerating everything around her, time halted. The room she was in however had already become a ruin, the entire thing a misshapen mess. Travelling along floating platforms, she searched desperately for Rosa.. but could not find her. Wait, had she been outwitted, had Rosa been relocated in all the delays? Maybe she should have enacted frozen time much sooner, and not provided them any opportunity. However, it was too late now for such doubts. Scour as she could, the remaining layout of the structure provided her with no answers. Drew had successfully taken Rosa away from Kori. It wasn’t simply that, such an explosive departure had successfully drained her of a lot of her chaotic composition, she wasn’t feeling so good right now. She made her way back out to the more-forgiving cold, letting time resume from a safe distance as Hypertech finished it’s collapse. The principled had taken her one last hope away from her.

Wait, no, they hadn’t. Such was only true in this timeline, she had even sent the two daughters back in time to reforge events and pave an opening. Actually, that would be to her advantage, if the plan had worked out properly. With the knowledge of chaos, she knew that removing the book might not have left open the first temporal passage, but it would have also ensured a timeline where Lyun would still have the blessing of chaos without being in a position where they could form a proper defense. As soon as the book was out of the picture, both daughters would have disappeared, thus revoking any advantage the world would have against chaos. If she were to then follow the same passage, potentially aiming at a point much farther along, she would find herself in a period that knew nothing of chaos. She could then bring Lyun to her side, then herself rip open the passage to her allies, leading chaos to an ultimate victory with Lyun at her side. In fact, tracing along that same timeline, she even found a very specific time which seemed to rend her command over misfortune at its greatest, one which chaos would have a need of her there. She knew nothing about what would be occurring at that time when she arrived beyond that, but it was an opportunity she could scarce afford to discard.

The area around Kori shifted to a pure white, as she targeted the time period where those present were pressuring the citadel for a solution against misfortune. From such, the future collided with the present day, the chaos-infused Axln left open to begin her work in earnest.